Sophia Regina Allison better known by her stage name of Soccer Mommy is a singer-songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee who releases her fourth album ‘Evergreen’ this month.
The opening song `Lost` I read is a remembrance of Allison’s mother. A poignant and touching reminiscence of the sharing of simple things such as a name and her image. It`s pretty much acoustically driven with orchestrated strings and a gentle drumbeat. The sound of the guitar frets gives it a delightfully almost haunting texture. We have a further exploration of grief and loss on `M` which is faster paced but still retains that sense of anguish and heartache. The last minute slows and veers off with some charming flute swathes.
`Driver` is a love song that’s really about someone being there for you in spite of your shortcomings. A jangling guitar riff and accompanying drum rhythm lead us through this ruminative musing. The music shared on `Some Sunny Day` appears to mirror the lyrics shared about resisting becoming embroiled in self-pity and trying to go along with how life has changed irreparably.
`Changes` sums this track up pretty well as it ponders on how life and places that hold memories of somebody who is no longer in your life, take on a different hue. `Abagail` is a dreamy love song about the eponymous character from the video game Stardew Valley. A romanceable non-player character and the song lists many of the loveable traits that she has.
`Thinking Of You` is a fairly simple but so effective offering about the routineness of life and everyday incidences but how something can trigger a memory of somebody. There`s a similar vibe to `Dreaming of Falling` but with a vision of moving on.
`Salt in Wound` feels fairly distracted and appears to mull over places or occasions that bring memories that you know you have to come to terms with rather than ignore. I enjoyed the offbeat feel to `Anchor` which may well have been about trying to avoid being sucked into despondency but resisting that urge and veering towards brighter more positive outcomes.
Title track `Evergreen` closes out this release and it`s a tender and emotive composition to end on, with its strings and shared vocal harmonies. The title can be interpreted as ever living, never-ending or never ceasing so a pretty apt summation for this track and indeed the album.
`Evergreen` came subsequent to a period of “profound and personal loss” for this artist and it could have gone one of two ways but it`s an emotional, melodic, and endearing listen with numbers that I’m sure will certainly prompt our own reflections on similar situations that have happened in our own lives. I`m sure it was cathartic, liberating and healing for this artist and well worth listening to.
Rating 8/10
REVIEW: SOCCER MOMMY – EVERGREEN (2024)
Published:
